Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Tue Aug 13th Todays News

Happy birthday and many happy returns Keith Darley, Willyna Lim, Benny Milinkovic and Charlie Lu. Born on the same day, across the years, along with Annie Oakley (1860), John Logie Baird (1888), Alfred Hitchcock (1899), Felix Wankel (1902), Dan Fogelberg (1951), Danny Bonaduce (1959) and Piper Reese (2000). On your day, Qixi Festival in the Chinese calendar (2013)1521 – After an extended siege, forces led by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés captured Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.1704 – War of the Spanish Succession: The Duke of Marlborough led Allied forces to a crucial victory in the Battle of Blenheim.1898 – Spanish–American War: After a mock battle for Manila, the Spanish commander surrendered to the U.S. in order to keep the city out of Filipino rebel hands.1954 – The complete version of "Qaumī Tarāna", the national anthem of Pakistan, was broadcast for the first time on Radio Pakistan.2010 – After having been boarded by Canadian authorities, the MV Sun Sea docked and the 492 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee claimants on board were placed into detention. Your extended siege is over. It is all yours (indicates the curtains). No need for mock battles. The anthem plays, the ship has landed. The days is yours.
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Tim Blair – Tuesday,August 13,2013 (3:46pm)

“I am a 58 year old environmentalist and citizen journalist who has worked in web design and web content administration for the last 17 years,” declares John Englart, one of Margo Kingston’s unpaid election-coverage activists. “I have extensive experience in citizen journalism spanning the last 15 years. With my skills as a web designer and fueled by the political conspiracy to eliminate the power of the Maritime Union of Australia in 1997, I established a campaigning website …”

Tim Blair – Tuesday,August 13,2013 (2:47pm)

Tim Blair – Tuesday,August 13,2013 (2:10pm)

New York mayoral candidate and sexting enthusiast Anthony Weiner sounds just like a certain paranoid Australian Prime Minister:

Powerful voices have made it clear from the very beginning that they didn’t want me to win. But this isn’t about what they want. They’ve gotten their way for far too long. If you give me the chance, I will fight for your and your family every single day.

Tim Blair – Tuesday,August 13,2013 (1:21pm)

Tim Blair – Tuesday,August 13,2013 (5:03am)

News Corp owns 33 per cent of Australian print media titles. This is a simple fact, yet it eludes even more simple leftists, who struggle to understand the basic concept of ownership. For example, here’s the Guardian‘s Lenore Taylor:

Rudd repeatedly referred to the fact that Murdoch ”owned 70% of Australia’s newspapers”, but when asked whether he had any plans to change media ownership laws if re-elected, he said he did not.

News Corporation has said it has 63% of Australian newspaper circulation, rather than 70%.

Poor Lenore is deeply confused. Within those two paragraphs, she’s decided that newspaper ownership and newspaper circulation are the same thing. Imagine this fanciful scenario: Fairfax titles suddenly increase their circulation by one million copies per day nationwide. According to Lenore, this would mean that News Corp immediately owns fewer papers.

Lenore Taylor might be an idiot. Perhaps Australia’s $1,000,000,000-per-year tax-funded ABC is more alert to ownership basics, what with its shiny new fact-checking unit and all. Then again, perhaps not. Last night, the billion-dollar broadcaster’s Media Watch ran this comment from Kevin Rudd, during the program’s usual tsunami of government-hugging leftist puke:

Mr Murdoch owns 70 per cent of newspapers in this country, 70 per cent of the print media.

More than a minute after airing that screaming lie, Media Watch host Paul Barry finally added an incorrect correction:

And we should add that Mr Rudd’s claim that News Corp owns 70 per cent of the newspapers in this country is false. According to News Corp it’s responsible for 63 per cent of Australian newspaper sales.

Sales are one thing. Ownership is quite another. Paul Barry surely understands the difference. To believe otherwise is unthinkable. Who among us would even think that the likes of Barry and Taylor are deliberately attempting to mislead their audiences?

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a
href="http://video.theaustralian.com.au/2332658468/Drugs-crime-gangs-linked-to-Aussie-sport"&gt;VIDEO:
Drugs, crime gangs linked to Aussie sport&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
This is a farce - the kind of charge you bring because you can’t find any specific infringement of any rule and are embarrassed:

AFL LEGEND Leigh Matthews says the league could be making a scapegoat of Essendon if it charges the Bombers with bringing the game into disrepute.
The AFL is expected to soon sanction the club over last year’s
supplement program, having spent more than a week reviewing the
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority’s interim report into the saga.
There has been speculation that no specific anti-doping charges will be
brought against players under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code,
but the AFL could still heavily punish the Bombers under its own rules.

If Essendon broke a rule, punish it.
But “bringing the game into disrepute” is just a “vibe” charge. Can’t
prove anything, just don’t like the vibe. This is saying something’s
wrong just because the likes of Andrew Demetriou and The Age feel it is. This is a kind of witchhunt justice - a bone to thrown to the mob simply because it expects one.
I don’t hold the game in any less regard because of what Essendon or
coach James Hird did. The club was slack, yes, but has suffered for it
and sacked people. But I still can’t see any real proof of a knowing
infringement of any rules or a desire to cheat.
How would the AFL even prove the game was now held in lesser repute thanks to Hird and Essendon?
If anyone has brought the game into disrepute it is Demetriou. Let’s
have a survey of football followers and ask them - Hird or Demetriou?
I’d bet $1000 on the result.
Charge Demetriou instead.
Why?

Demetriou stood next to Gillard Government Ministers in February to lend
credibility to their wild claims that Australian sport, including the
AFL, was riddled with match-fixing (false), links to organised crime
(false) and “widespread” taking of banned performance-enhancing drugs
(unproven).
It is Demetriou who has let the charges hang there for six months as
investigators slowing tried to back their premature claims with
evidence.
It is Demetriou who in those six months let Essendon twist in the
breeze, subjected to extraordinary vilification in the media at an
enormous cost to the players, coach and club.
It is Demetriou who in the last few weeks jetted off on the junket in the US rather than stay home and fix this fast.
Demetriou, not Hird, should be charged with bringing the game into
disrepute. To now try to hit Essendon with this farcical charge is the
last straw.
UPDATE
The law of the “vibe” was cute when it was fiction, and invoked in defence of the little guy:

It’s not cute but sinister when invoked in real life by a powerful institution using its own tribunals to defend its privileges.
UPDATE
The AFL can find no infraction of doping rules, but charges anyway:

Commentators on Sky News are in deep disapproval and note “raised eyebrows”. A Fairfax journalist is reminded of Tony Abbott’s ”woman problem”:

At an event in Penrith, Mr Abbott was asked to compare Fiona Scott to
Jackie Kelly who won the seat of Lindsay for the Liberal Party in 1996.
“They are young, they are feisty,” Mr Abbott said.
“I think I could probably say they both have a bit of sex appeal and are just very, very connected to the local community.”

A classic divide between the commentariat and the professional
offence-taking crowd. Most punters would say Abbott spoke no more than
the plain truth, and did it with a laugh. If journalists really think
he’s out of order, then explain why newspapers publish photos of Scott
like the one above.
Punters hate hypocrites and the sanctimonious. And they know sex appeal when they see it.

UPDATE
Watch the ghastly moment when Tony Abbott committed what some Channel 7 journalist insists was a “gaffe”:

December 28, 2005 - 3:45PM
Former Labor Senate leader John Faulkner and Labor health spokeswoman
Julia Gillard have been declared Australia’s sexiest politicians.
In a straw poll of readers conducted by the political website
crikey.com.au, Senator Faulkner was selected hands down as sexiest male
politician of 2005.

Not withstanding the fact that I had had too much to drink, I have no
recollection (nor does Mr Snowdon) of any incident occurring at the
nightclub—or of being asked to leave. It is our recollection that we
left within about an hour…

What Guzman’s admittedly hyperbolic writ now claims:

Defendant Allan took two Australian political leaders to the strip club
Scores in Manhattan, where they watched strippers perform, reportedly
had too much to drink, and were ejected from the club by its bouncers.

HAVE you ever thought, ‘our politicians are so drab’?… But below sit ten
Australian pollies who are as sizzling off camera as they are on…
Larissa Waters is one of the few exceptions to the rule: this gal is
smokin’ hot!

KATE Ellis, the vivacious federal Minister for Youth and Sport, has been
chosen as Australia’s sexiest MP in a poll of her political peers…
In an Australian first, nearly 70 federal MPs and senators have offered
an unprecedented insight into what drove them to get into politics and
what they read, listen to and watch.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has angered feminists after making
‘sexist’ remarks to a female reporter who turned up at a press
conference wearing a fedora hat, a white shirt and a long grey tie.
Instead of answering journalist Latika Bourke’s serious question about
why his flagging leadership is ‘in crisis’, the Labour leader gazed up
and down at her clothing before giving a bizarre response.
He said: ‘Well, that’s a point of language which you have used which is
dramatically consistent with the dress which you have chosen today.’
Miss Bourke refused to comment on Mr Rudd’s remarks today...

BOTH parties’ election costings are set to
hinge on the forecasts in today’s pre-election economic and fiscal
outlook, but analysis shows forecasts in the 2010 document were wildly
off the mark.
The July 2010 PEFO made massively optimistic projections about revenue
and economic growth, which encouraged politicians to make spending
promises that were ultimately unaffordable.

The two key things to watch in today’s PEFO are, first, the corrections
for the internal inconsistencies of the major economic parameters and,
second, the assumptions about future key revenues.
Unemployment simply cannot fall by 1 1/4 percentage points during the
course of one year when the economy is growing only at trend and
employment growth is assumed to be 1 1/2 per cent. PEFO needs to fix
this up.
Will Treasury persist with its ludicrous assumption on future carbon
prices, culminating in a figure of $38 a tonne in 2019-20? And persist
with the assumptions on MRRT revenue, including $2bn in 2016-17?

The release of the Pre-Election Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) on Tuesday will
­escalate pressure on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to detail his
spending and saving plans as Labor seeks to claw its way back into
contention…
It is understood Mr Abbott will release as soon as Wednesday the details
of his controversial paid parental leave scheme. It was costed at the
last election at about $4.5 billion a year and would be mostly funded by
a 1.5 percentage point increase in company tax for companies with a
taxable income of $5 million or more. As the Financial Review revealed
earlier this year, the policy cost will be trimmed this time by
excluding local, state and federal government employees already eligible
for taxpayer-funded paid parental leave.

The irony of PEFO, though, is that a Treasury document which shows a
$33 billion hole in Labor and Treasury costings from just three months
ago is being used by Labor to demand costings from the Opposition. What
are any of these costings worth? All the more reason to judge harder on
performance. In this case Labor’s.
(Thanks to reader Peter. UPDATE: Misattribution fixed. Link added.)
UPDATE
Treasury refuses to budge - but does confirm the disaster that was Labor’s May Budget:

THE final budget update before the election has confirmed a budget deficit of $30.1 billion this year but tipped a slight increase in the surplus in 2016-17, heightening the political debate over fiscal policy.
Treasury and Finance officials have stood by all the forecasts in the
government’s economic statement from 10 days ago, including a
controversial prediction that the unemployment rate would rise to 6.25
per cent this year and next but then drop to 5 per cent one year later.
The pre-election economic and fiscal outlook, or PEFO, forecasts a
surplus in 2016-17 of $4.2bn, slightly up on the $4bn projection in
Labor’s economic statement released on August 2.

UPDATE
Today’s PEFO confirms Labor’s Budget this year alone has blown out to
$30 billion, Labor’s claim to have “terminated” the carbon tax is a con,
Labor’s wild spending has outstripped revenues by $97 billion over the
2010 PEFO’s forward estimates, and Labor’s long-promised surplus, now
delayed to 2016-17, is based on inexplicably optimistic growth
forecasts.
Yet The Age economics writer sums up:

Every journalist now frantically demanding costings from the Coalition
should at least show concern when costings prove terribly wrong.
Doesn’t performance count for more than promises?

...a simple rule of thumb for a $1 change in the carbon price in
any given year would be a change in the underlying cash balance of
around $160 million in 2014-15 or around $220 million in either 2015-16
or 2016-17.

Do the maths. Rudd claims he’s cutting the carbon price to $6. His own
Budget update - and today’s PEFO - confirm his Budget actually relies on
the carbon price rising to nearly $19 three years from now (and $38 in
six years). If the carbon price, set by Europe’s market, does stay at $6
by 2016, the last year of a re-elected Rudd Government, rather than
rise to $19, PEFO estimates the revenue shortfall to be $2.86 billion.
That would wipe out two thirds of the expected $4.2 billion surplus that year - Labor’s first.

I forgot to put this up
last week. It is excruciating and revealing of the party that also
claimed to have delivered a surplus this year:

TRANSCRIPT
Interview with David Bevon
891 Adelaide
Thursday, 8 August 2013
Subjects: Labor MP Nick Champion Mislead Electorate
DAVID BEVON: Yesterday our program got hold of a letter, a letter that
was sent to us, and it was a letter that was sent out by Nick Champion
the sitting South Australian Member for the Labor seat of Wakefield.
Well he is the Labor member for the seat of Wakefield and of course that
covers Holden, and jobs in his electorate is a big issue, the Holden
plant is a big issue. In the letter he makes quite a direct statement. He says that he has saved Holden jobs until 2022, he has secured jobs of Holden until 2022. We put that up on twitter last night, it’s got legs I think it’s fair to say.
Nick Champion, Federal Labor Member for Wakefield joins us right now, good morning Mr Champion.
NICK CHAMPION: Good Morning
BEVON: Well have you, as you say in your letter, secured guaranteed support for GM Holden, securing production until 2022?
CHAMPION: well, yes you guys would be aware that we put in place $275
million dollars in support for Holden and for the two new models, that
is to leverage a billion dollars worth of investment that takes a
production from 2017 to 2022. We have passed the first investment
gateway to do that. We now are looking down the track to the second
investment gateway which is after the election and the only uncertainty
in this area is produced by the policies of the Liberal Party who may
well win the election. And there policy is to cut $500 million dollars.
BEVON: So Holden have told you Nick Champion that because of all the
things that you personally have put in place, they will producing a car
until 2022?
CHAMPION: Well look.
BEVON: Have they told you that?
CHAMPION: Well, Matt
BEVON: Its David here.
CHAMPION: Well David, they haven’t told me that personally, obviously.
What we have done, what I am guaranteeing is that I have secured
support.
BEVON: Your letter goes on to say ensuring production until 2022. I will
just read that sentence out again so we get it accurate, and you want
us to do that. I have secured guaranteed support for GM Holden Elizabeth
ensuring production until 2022. Is that misleading?
CHAMPION: No, its not.
BEVON: Why is Holden saying it will make a decision on the Elizabeth plant, after the election?
CHAMPION: Because there might be a Liberal Government who cuts $500 billion dollars from there auto assistance.
BEVON: Holden have told you then, that if Labor is elected they will produce cars until 2022 in Elizabeth?
CHAMPION: Well I think it is obvious
BEVON: No, no have they told you that, Nick Champion?
CHAMPION: Holden haven’t told me that.
BEVON: Well who has told you that?

KEVIN Rudd has rebuffed Tony Abbott’s offer for a Sky News “people’s forum” debate, saying he wants to face the Opposition Leader on the free-to-air networks.
The Prime Minister said he wanted four more debates - one each on Seven, Nine, Ten and the ABC.
But Mr Abbott wants Mr Rudd to attend an August 21 event at the Brisbane
Broncos Leagues Club, where the audience would get to ask questions.
Mr Rudd has so far failed to agree, and today drew a distinction between
Sky-hosted events, and those on the free-to-air networks.
He said Sky News was “pay television not free to air television - there’s a big difference”.

Actually, the Sky feed would be offered free to all networks, just as the ABC’s was on Sunday.

That’s not much of a drop, and it will prove temporary if Rudd’s fix is overwhelmed by numbers in the next few weeks:

Kevin Rudd has for the first time claimed demonstrable success for his Papua New Guinea solution…
‘’In the month or so since we’ve had this policy implemented, I am
advised that boat arrivals are down by 30 per cent,’’ Mr Rudd said.
While there has been a drop in this period, it is less than 20 per cent,
Fairfax Media’s analysis shows… In the 24 days before the announcement,
2833 people arrived on 32 boats, meaning the actual drop in the number of arrivals is at best 19.7 per cent.

Labor enters the second week of the election campaign lagging the
Coalition in the polls and with concern starting to spread internally
about Kevin Rudd’s ability to engineer a reversal.
Senior sources have told The ­Australian Financial Review that Labor’s
negative ads will begin soon and it was hoped these would help with a
revival.
Also, the Prime Minister has been advised to stop attacking Rupert
­Murdoch, whose News Corp Australia newspapers have declared war on the
government. Mr Rudd’s advisers feel the fight has become a damaging
­distraction.

Malcolm Turnbull, the Opposition’s communications spokesman, was very impressive in his debate
with Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, despite persistent
attempts by host Emma Alberici to cut him off at critical points.
Excerpts from the highlight:

During a debate on the NBN on ABC’s Lateline last night, Liberal
communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull asked Mr Albanese to produce
the latest business plan to back his claims on the strength of Labor’s
policy.
“It is sitting on your desk,” Mr Turnbull said.
“The company gave it to you only a month or so ago.”
Mr Albanese responded: “That is not right. They have not produced the final business plan.”
Mr Turnbull said: “Oh, I see. Labor keeps the draft stamped on it so you
don’t have to give it out before the election. You have got a
confession from the company ... and you don’t want to let the public
know.”
Mr Albanese said if the government had received it would have to go
through cabinet and that could not occur in an caretaker election
period.
Mr Turnbull said: “They have undoubtedly received it.”
Mr Albanese said: “No. We have not received the final business plan.”

Communications Minister Anthony Albanese has admitted the government may
not release NBN Co’s updated business plan until after the federal
election on September 7, 2013.
The decision to delay the release of the key document would come after
The Australian Financial Review exclusively revealed NBN Co was set to
miss its June 2014 deadlines by more than 273,000 homes and businesses…
Mr Albanese ... said Australians needed the 1 gigabit per second [Gbps]
internet download speeds Labor’s plan would deliver using fibre optic
cabling to homes and businesses. But when asked what the cost of a 1Gbps
would be to households and consumers, Mr Albanese said he did not know
and that it was up to market players, which would include Telstra and
SingTel-Optus, to decide what the price is.
“The market will determine these things, Emma, this is not a government-owned monopoly,” he said.
This was contradicted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission as well as internet service provider SingTel-Optus
who have long stated that the NBN will be a government-owned monopoly.
NBN Co sets wholesale prices and has set a $150 per month wholesale rate
for 1Gbps services, on top of which retailers will have to pay access
charges before adding a margin.

What if Tony Abbott had cheated by reading notes at [the leaders’]
debate? I suspect he would now be vilified, shed of all credibility and
plastered over the ABC and Fairfax as exhibit 1 of an untrustworthy and
unworthy candidate for the prime ministership.
The fact that Rudd suffers none of this opprobrium shows how Abbott is held to considerably higher standards than Rudd.

Until now, the
Coalition guaranteed only no change in the GST in its first term in
office. Last night frontbencher Chris Pyne went further - either because
he fumbled under pressure on Q&A or because the Coalition decided the Labor scare was biting:

When the GST legislation passed the House of Representatives, Mr Rudd told the Australian people:
“When the history of this Parliament, this nation and this century is
written, 30 June 1999 will be recorded as a day of fundamental injustice
- an injustice which is real, an injustice which is not simply conjured
up by the fleeting rhetoric of politicians.
“It will be recorded as the day when the social compact that has governed this nation for the last 100 years was torn up.”
Wow, that was scary: a day of fundamental injustice. That was so scary, I
thought he might do something about it when he got into government.
And do you know what changes he made to GST over the past six years? To
use his own words, not a jot or a tittle, zip, zilch, nothing.

Another massacre by Islamist radicals in Africa’s most populous nation:

Suspected Islamic militants wearing army fatigues gunned down 44 people praying at a mosque in northeast Nigeria, while another 12 civilians died in an apparently simultaneous attack, security agents said Monday.
Sunday’s attacks were the latest in a slew of violence blamed on
religious extremists in this West African oil producer, where the
radical Boko Haram group, which wants to oust the government and impose
Islamic law, poses the greatest security threat in years.

He ran the 14-kilometre course in 81
minutes. Then he made a policy announcement on Bondi Beach, pledging $8
million to Australia’s surf life saving clubs. Then he announced a
$500,000 grant for North Bondi Surf Club. Then he travelled to Canberra.
Then he prepared for an election debate. Then he debated the Prime
Minister live on national television, without notes (unlike the Prime
Minister).

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===TOUGH BEAUTY - A new play about female violence. Combining a mix of young talents and directed by the ever creative Claudia Chidiac, I hope you get the chance to check it out at the Casula Powerhouse, showing this Thursday, Friday and Saturday!

The Tough Beauty project also consisted of a music component, with some killer songs written and performed by 2 gifted young ladies - Ink Flowz and Karen Otero! ("Journey" is one of my faves) though it's worth checking them all out, especially you're into Hip Hop / Rap!

PERFORMANCE UPDATES!The following are the performance times for anyone coming along to watch us in action this coming week! Most of the Team will be there ready to flip over your brave bodies, so come along and don't be too shy to say hello or volunteer for us!

We look forward to seeing most of you very soon!
===The clearer our minds can be, the more we can focus on the things that are most important and the easier it is to remove any negative thoughts within. All of which help us to live more positive and more fulfilling lives every single day!‪#‎team9lives‬‪#‎9livesparkour‬‪#‎warriortraining‬‪#‎mentaltraining‬‪#‎mindbodysoul‬
===Lovers of Big Government and apologists for debt like Paul Krugman have tried to paint Milton Friedman as a contradiction. They say that Friedman’s insight that more Fed intervention might have mitigated the Great Depression is inconsistent with his view that the Depression would have been less severe without the Fed.
===
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===The Coalition's plan for tax cuts will encourage investment in business and create jobs. Find out more about the plan here http://bit.ly/19fwfmh
===“When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it.” JOHN WAYNE
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===We will cut $1 billion of red tape every year to give local businesses a chance to grow, prosper and employ more people. Discussing practical ways to reduce red tape at Packer Leather with the chair of the Coalition’s de-Regulation task force Arthur Sinodinos http://bit.ly/121eTE5 — at Narangba Qld.
===

He added that the U.S. intelligence community is terrified they might be used to shoot down airliners.

===The party that has lost $13 billion in ten weeks, with a finance minister that has lost $107 billion are to be believed on? - ed

You have to salute the courage of Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson and Finance Department secretary David Tune. Under serious pressure from their next political masters to produce a set of numbers favourable to the Coalition, they have stood their ground.

The bottom line of their Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) is effectively identical to the one published 11 days ago in the government's economic statement. Where it differs, the forecast budget outcomes over the next four years is actually $209 million better than the previous estimate.

===
==="What Ben Chavis and the American Indian Model Schools are really guilty of is creating academic excellence that shows up the public school system, both by this school's achievements and by the methods used to create those achievements, which go against the educational dogmas prevailing in the failing public schools."
===Earlier today, I launched the Coalition’s policy to invest $100 million to improve mobile phone coverage across Australia.

For more information visit: http://lbr.al/eyho
===Walt Disney explains why America will continue to die until YOU learn to use the SHARE button:

“Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards – the things we live by and teach our children – are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.” Walt Disney
===Support my campaign against the Greenshttp://ow.ly/nCMYg
===BEAT THE LEFT AT THEIR OWN GAME ON CIVIL LIBERTIES! They don't want us to be free to keep the fruits of our own labour! Courtesy of Gina Rinehart's father Lang Hancock in 1979:"The strange fact is that while Australians are constitutionally free today to do almost everything that our cultural tradition has previously held to be immoral and obscene, the police powers of the State are being invoked against almost every aspect of the economic productive process, so no one is free to pursue those activities which will give them a rising standard of living or ensure the well-being of the nation."[Source: http://economics.org.au/2013/07/lang-hancock-beats-the-left-at-their-own-game-on-civil-liberties/.]
===Last night, soldiers from the IDF's Iron Dome air defense system intercepted a rocket fired at the Israeli city of Eilat. The men and women of the IDF are on guard every hour of every day to protect the homes of the people of Israel.

Read more: http://www.idfblog.com/2013/08/13/update-iron-dome-intercepts-rocket-over-eilat-for-first-time/
===
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===They are very desperate .. confusing recurrent spending with asset sales .. ed
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===<Genuine intellectuals who are devoted to the pursuit of ideas and who understand the transformative potential of debate should reject the politics of insult. Instead of sneeringly declaring ‘they don’t get it’, a real intellectual should develop ideas in a way that would allow ‘them’ to get it. Indeed, it is the conviction that most human beings have the potential to grasp the issues facing their communities that underpins the ideals of democratic politics and popular sovereignty. The real problem today is not stupid conservatives, but people with multiple university degrees who ‘don’t get’ what it truly means to be an intellectual.>
===
4 her
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===The premise of the original was Hornblower in space .. very enjoyable and groundbreaking. The chief problem with later incarnations, before Abrams, was failing to develop story in favor of character. The prime directive is a millstone worse than any Organian peace treaty. - ed===
===HISTORY LISTS: Despite the best efforts of museums and art collectors, many of the world’s most important paintings and sculptures no longer exist. From a Russian national treasure looted by the Nazis to a da Vinci painting that no one has ever seen, find out more about eight of art history’s missing masterworks.http://histv.co/17jwiru
===Finding Nemo wasn't so difficult after all :
===We have been inundated with requests from followers since the show went live to air asking if Matt can share some of his pain from the events and training sessions with the general public.

So we have an idea, what if we ran a Search4hurt live event, where Matt and some of his trainer buddies put you through the best of the sessions you have seen on TV mixed in with some running, obstacles and other physical challenges??

All challenges will be scaled so if you are straight off the couch or a personal trainer, you will get an insight into what Matt did throughout the series and take yourself home your own piece of hurt and a massive sense of achievement.

If it is something you would be interested doing like and share this post and maybe comment what state you are from and we will explore it further.
===

The United Nations’ refugee arm has launched an investigation into one of its top Jordanian officials after he posted on his Facebook page a “motivational” poster featuring Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

Dr. Fares Haider, reportedly the dean of education at the U.N.’s Relief Works Agency’s (UNRWA) educational facilities in Jordan, posted on his “official” Facebook page a picture of Hitler saluting, along with a quote from the Nazi leader.

UNRWA, which is primarily funded by the United States, is responsible for the education of some 485,000 Palestinian children throughout the Middle East.

“Military rules for success … Assad Allah good morning all,” Haider wrote along with the picture, according to the Israel-based Center for Near East Policy Research.

The text accompanying Hitler’s image reads: “The two most important rules in order to be successful—the first: never give up. The second: remember the first rule,” according to a report and translation performed by pro-Israel blogger Elder of Ziyon.

The quote is attributed directly to “Adolf Hitler.”

===
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===Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that he is changing Justice Department policy so that "low-level, nonviolent" drug offenders will no longer face mandatory minimum prison sentences.

Aggressive enforcement of federal criminal laws is necessary, but "we cannot simply prosecute or incarcerate our way to becoming a safer nation," Holder said. http://tinyurl.com/l5rmtr5
===In Australia we call it public housing - ed
===AUSSIES CHOKE: Australia’s Ashes campaign has been left in tatters after a humiliating batting collapse at Chester-le-Street.

At one stage, the Aussies were 1-147 chasing 299 for victory, but the team then went on to lose its last eight wickets for just 77 runs. England now has a 3-nil lead in the series.

We’ll have more on this story in our afternoon bulletins and in 9 News at 6pm on Channel 9.

‪#‎Ashes‬‪#‎cricket‬‪#‎9News‬I think they have been as competitive and dignified as they can be. They have been outplayed by a better team. - ed
===Legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899. That’s makes today his birthday and though the director passed away 33 years ago, his legacy can still be felt today!
===BREAKING: 10 Rock Vault designers are confirmed to showcase their SS14 collections at the Designer Showrooms at London Fashion Week this September.
===Národný park Redwood v Kalifornii
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===Here one for the guys! A diamond set yellow gold dome wedding ring — atDiamond Imports.
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Kenyan lawyer Dola Indidis argues that the trial was unlawful and is demanding that Israel and Italy be held responsible, The Christian Post reports.

Mr Indidis, a Roman Catholic, and former spokesperson for the Kenyan Judiciary, filed the lawsuit regarding Jesus' death with the International Court of Justice, the primary judicial branch of the United Nations based at The Hague in the Netherlands.

He filed the lawsuit against Pontius Pilate, several Jewish elders, King Herod, Tiberius (Emperor of Rome 42 BC-37AD), the Republic of Italy and the State of Israel.

Italy is under new management. Herod and Tiberius are dead. But I understand the UN are debating the issue of Israel's involvement. - ed
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Number 5 on the list of killers set to be freed by the gov't of Israel are the killers who murdered Freddie Rosenfeld, an American citizen

Steven Frederick Rosenfeld was born to Eugene and Ethel Rosenfeld in New York on 29 August 1941.

He immigrated to Israel in 1968 and volunteered at Kibbutz Masada, where he was injured when a truck he was driving hit a landmine. Followingrehabilitation, Frederick began working onarchaeological digs in the Ein Bokek area, where he met his wife, Rachel.

On Saturday, 7 June 1989, Frederick went on a hike in the hills near Ariel.

He encountered a group of shepherds who stole a knife that he had in his possession, stabbed him to death, and hid his body on the side of the path. A different shepherd who was passing through the area found the body the next day.
Frederick was 48 at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife and brother.

The killers were caught because Freddie took their picture as they attacked him and, in his dying moments, put the camera in his pocket...

At the time, our agency provided full news coverage of Freddie's murder for the foreign press based in Israel.

Since Israel's justice system has now failed Freddie Rosenfeld, perhaps the US justice system will come through.

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===As CAMERA has documented in the past, fact-checking for his column is not Thomas L. Friedman's strong suit. But to make matters worse,The New York Times seems unperturbed by such blatant errors.===The Israel Davis Cup team will be fined 10,000 euros for refusing to compete on Yom Kippur, it was reported Sunday.
===While the government claims that the murderers being freed as a “gesture” to the Palestinian Authority (PA) committed their acts before the Oslo accords were signed by then-Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and PA head Yasser Arafat,Arutz Sheva has revealed that this is in fact not true.
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According to eyewitnesses, dozens of Border Police secured the location, which was declared a Closed Military Zone for the duration of the action. The operation was carried out following a High Court order, issued after judges determined that the orchard was planted on land that belongs to Arabs.

Police allege 36-year-old Fadi Abdul-Rahman, who featured in Kevin Rudd's 2020 Summit in 2008 and has been a fighter for justice in western Sydney, was part of a commercial cocaine syndicate that was caught with 5kg of the drug hidden in a chess set.

Abdul-Rahman appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, facing two commercial drugs charges after he was arrested during a police sting at Punchbowl in March. Abdul-Rahman's lawyer Brett Galloway told The Sunday Telegraph he would defend the charges.

"There are no facts which establish any of the offences. . . they are consistent with his innocence or that he was in the wrong place at a bad time," Mr Galloway said.

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Australia is building Mosques in Afghanistan? Have we expertise with this? -ed
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The EU insisted on Monday that Israel and the Palestinian Authority should "avoid any actions which would halt negotiations," according to AFP.

Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton, responded to the announcement for new housing tenders at a news briefing:

"Israeli settlements in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] are illegal under international law and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible."

Ironic given that individual EU governments are calling for Islamic migrants to conform. - ed
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===“I find it very ironic. Every week in my hospital we get several seriously wounded patients from Syria. This is besides the ones that go to Ziv, Poria, and Rambam. These patients are taken care of for free and brought to us by the U.N. since no one else will take care of them. So the U.N. knows Jews are the only ones who will help anyone no matter what background, yet they continue to bash us as Arab hating oppressors.”
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RAMAT GAN WELCOMES BABY ELEPHANT

LaBelle gave birth to a 200 pound elephant calf at the Ramat Gan Safari in Tel Aviv. The successful birth was uneventful for first time mom, who is part of Ramat Gan’s extensive animal conservation program. The female baby, yet to be named, is an Asian elephant and will likely join her mother and grandmother in the elephant breeding program when she is grown.

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===Maxi- mum whats the weather like today? Me- (looks out window) cold and windy. Maxi- how do you know, you didnt even ask siri?! Me- I did it the old fashioned way, I looked out the window! Kids these days.
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Father, today I surrender all to You.I know that through faith and patience I will receive Your promises. Help me to be ready and show me what to do so that I am in position to receive everything You have prepared for me. Search my heart and mind and show me if there is any area where I am trying to lean on my own strength. I choose today to trust and rely on You knowing that Your strength is perfect in my weakness in Jesus’ name. Amen

But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.(2 Corinthians 12:9)

We all have areas where we need to come up higher. Perhaps you’ve struggled with a certain area year after year. Instead of getting down on yourself or trying to find solutions on the internet, maybe it’s time to pray and say, “God, I need Your help. I’m asking for Your strength.”

When you humble yourself and admit that you cannot do it on your own, that’s when God can enter the scene. That’s when He can turn it around. A lot of times we think of dependency in a negative light, but dependency on God is not a weakness; it’s a strength. It enables you to tap into His power. When we yield our weakness, that’s when God shows up the strongest. But when we don’t turn to God, really, that’s a sign of pride. We’re saying, “God, I don’t really need You to help me run my life. I’m doing okay. I’ve got it all figured out.” God will step back and let us do it on our own.

Today, what is holding you back? Surrender it to God. Let Him do His perfect work. Find strength in your dependency on Him.God bless you.

===Pastor Rick WarrenBuying a more expensive watch won't give you more time, but paying for it will certainly cost you time that could be used in better ways. Your time is your life. Killing time is suicide. (The watch in this photo costs $1 million)
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Feeling Discouraged? All this week you can watch my message "Getting Through Life's Losses" It will encourage you of you if you are going through a tough time AND equip you with skills you'll new for inevitable losses in your futurehttp://bit.ly/12LvQF3An outline is included.

Last week I spent three days in Iowa attending the Lyon County GOP dinner in Rock Rapids, the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, and the Iowa Family Leader Family Leadership Summit in Ames. It was a great trip running into old and new friends. I also spent a lot of time talking about why Republicans need to not just talk to the job creators but also to the job holders who share our views and values. I hope you'll take a look at some of these articles that recap my trip:

"The future of the Republican Party and the nation itself depend on conservatives standing up for their values, Rick Santorum warned in his return to northwest Iowa on Thursday night. Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and 2012 presidential candidate, came back to this ardently conservative corner of the state as the featured speaker at a multi-county GOP fundraiser, captivating a crowd of more than 300 and then appearing live on CNN from the floor of the banquet hall...Santorum lamented a decline in Christian cultural influence and a rise in dependence on government. He implored Iowa's most die-hard Republicans to live their values and export them beyond the GOP fortress of their home counties. In his speech, he was sharply critical of the Republican Party efforts in the race after he dropped out, accusing national leaders of focusing too much on 'job creators' while leaving behind working people and 'job holders' who share their views and values."

"Former presidential hopeful Rick Santorum returned to Iowa for the first time since campaigning for Mitt Romney in the last presidential election and criticized the GOP for being 'tone deaf' and failing to reach working Americans during that campaign. Speaking at a local Republican fundraiser, Santorum said the party was wrong to focus too strongly on 'job creators' and not enough on 'job holders'...'If all we do is focus on the job creators and not the job holders, we're talking to a very small group of people,' Santorum said."

"Rick Santorum was more popular than the butter cow. At the Iowa State Fair on Friday, he received more attention than traditional draws like pork tenderloin on a stick or a bovine made entirely out of butter....Everywhere the former Pennsylvania senator went at the fair, he was greeted by elected officials, ordinary citizens and even the Oklahoma man who wrote his campaign song and just happened to be at the fair selling pots and pans. They all seemed over the moon to be in the presence of a man who was preaching culture war among the corn dog stands and carnival rides."

You can also watch my speech from the Family Leadership Summithere and see pictures from my trip here.

Thanks for reading,

Rick Santorum

P.S. Please tune in tomorrow at Noon ET for Patriot Voices Radio. I'll join the broadcast to talk about my trip and the latest events in the news. Listen live at www.patriotvoices.com/radio or on your phone by dialing (347) 857-3462. You can also record a "shout out" message by calling (512) 827-3462! Tell us if you agree with me that the Republican Party needs to be the party of job holders and not just job creators. We might play your message during the show.

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Photo credit: www.jensensutta.com

Hi everyone! Here's the MichelleMalkin.com newsletter for August 12th. Enjoy!

In December of last year, a suburban New York newspaper, the Journal News, caused quite a stir after publishing an interactive map that showed the names and addresses of every person in two counties with handgun permits...

Some Democrats, including Harry Reid, have agreed that Obamacare could be a train wreck, but that’s a feature instead of a bug for those who designed the law to be a stepping stone to the ultimate elimination of private health insurance...

Michelle's Top Tweets

And ... Our Hate Tweet of the Day

Why Obama? Why? Why force Israel to release 104 of the worst terrorist murders ever? Releasing terrorists is a step that ENCOURAGES more terrorism! Is that what will bring peace. It is so sad hearing these families deal with this situation, so sad :(

This is horrible! The Koran, their Holy Book, tells them that God gave Israel to the Jewish people. They KNOW that the Temple Mount is Holy to Jews, and yet they not only have no respect for our sensibilities, they use violence to intimidate us NOT to pray on the Temple Mount, the holiest place of the Jewish people!

International law is on Israel's side. Watch the video to understand why!

This must be one of the best video presentations that clearly explains international law and the legal case for Israel and Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria. Definitely watch this to have a better understanding of international law so you can talk about Israel's situation intelligently with others.

Thank you for caring about Israel. Here is a new tool we have developed for people like you to stay up-to-date with important videos with the latest news in Israel. Sign Up Here!

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20NIV

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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

Causes for disquietude there are none so long as this blessed sentence is true. On earth the Lord's power as readily controls the rage of the wicked as the rage of the sea; his love as easily refreshes the poor with mercy as the earth with showers. Majesty gleams in flashes of fire amid the tempest's horrors, and the glory of the Lord is seen in its grandeur in the fall of empires, and the crash of thrones. In all our conflicts and tribulations, we may behold the hand of the divine King.

"God is God; he sees and hears

All our troubles, all our tears.

Soul, forget not, 'mid thy pains,

God o'er all forever reigns."

In hell, evil spirits own, with misery, his undoubted supremacy. When permitted to roam abroad, it is with a chain at their heel; the bit is in the mouth of behemoth, and the hook in the jaws of leviathan. Death's darts are under the Lord's lock, and the grave's prisons have divine power as their warder. The terrible vengeance of the Judge of all the earth makes fiends cower down and tremble, even as dogs in the kennel fear the hunter's whip.

"Fear not death, nor Satan's thrusts,

God defends who in him trusts;

Soul, remember, in thy pains,

God o'er all forever reigns."

In heaven none doubt the sovereignty of the King Eternal, but all fall on their faces to do him homage. Angels are his courtiers, the redeemed his favourites, and all delight to serve him day and night. May we soon reach the city of the great King!

"For this life's long night of sadness

He will give us peace and gladness.

Soul, remember, in thy pains,

God o'er all forever reigns."

Evening

The rainbow, the symbol of the covenant with Noah, is typical of our Lord Jesus, who is the Lord's witness to the people. When may we expect to see the token of the covenant? The rainbow is only to be seen painted upon a cloud. When the sinner's conscience is dark with clouds, when he remembers his past sin, and mourneth and lamenteth before God, Jesus Christ is revealed to him as the covenant Rainbow, displaying all the glorious hues of the divine character and betokening peace. To the believer, when his trials and temptations surround him, it is sweet to behold the person of our Lord Jesus Christ--to see him bleeding, living, rising, and pleading for us. God's rainbow is hung over the cloud of our sins, our sorrows, and our woes, to prophesy deliverance. Nor does a cloud alone give a rainbow, there must be the crystal drops to reflect the light of the sun. So, our sorrows must not only threaten, but they must really fall upon us. There had been no Christ for us if the vengeance of God had been merely a threatening cloud: punishment must fall in terrible drops upon the Surety. Until there is a real anguish in the sinner's conscience, there is no Christ for him; until the chastisement which he feels becomes grievous, he cannot see Jesus. But there must also be a sun; for clouds and drops of rain make not rainbows unless the sun shineth. Beloved, our God, who is as the sun to us, always shines, but we do not always see him--clouds hide his face; but no matter what drops may be falling, or what clouds may be threatening, if he does but shine there will be a rainbow at once. It is said that when we see the rainbow the shower is over. Certain it is, that when Christ comes, our troubles remove; when we behold Jesus, our sins vanish, and our doubts and fears subside. When Jesus walks the waters of the sea, how profound the calm!

Today's Old Testament reading: Psalm 84-86

For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,LORD Almighty!2 My soul yearns, even faints,for the courts of the LORD;my heart and my flesh cry outfor the living God.3 Even the sparrow has found a home,and the swallow a nest for herself,where she may have her young-a place near your altar,LORD Almighty, my King and my God.4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;they are ever praising you....

Today's New Testament reading: Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will....

[Märk,Mär'cus] - a large hammer orpolite. John Mark was a Jew and a son of Mary, who was a leading Christian at Jerusalem.

The Man Who Recovered Himself

Mark was the Roman surname of this young associate of the apostle, while his first name, John, was his Hebrew name. Mark was an apostle but held no official position among the original Twelve. The first time we come across "John, whose surname was Mark," it is in connection with one of the most remarkable prayer meetings ever held. Herod, who had just beheaded James, had Peter under arrest. But the many friends of "The Big Fisherman" gathered in the home of "Mary the mother of John Mark" for prayer, which the Lord wonderfully answered (Acts 12:12).

Mark's mother was a godly, well-to-do widow in Jerusalem and her house was a favorite meeting place for the saints (Acts 12:12; Col. 4:10). Her brother, Barnabas, Mark's uncle, was a wealthy Levite from the island of Cyprus (Acts 13:1-5). In Barnabas, Mark had a staunch and gifted friend and counselor (Acts 11:24). While we are not told how or when Mark became a disciple of Christ, it is evident that he owed his conversion to Peter, since the apostle speaks of him as "Marcus, my son" ( 1 Pet. 5:13). Thereafter he became a close companion of Peter for about twelve years. Doubtless Mark had heard and seen Christ. Tradition identifies Mark as "the certain young man," who followed Christ when all His disciples forsook Him and fled (Mark 14:51).

Mark became an attendant of Paul and Barnabas when they set out on their great mission tour (Acts 13:5 ), and these two godly men must have had a formative influence upon the character of young Mark. However, our next glimpse of him is disappointing. In the early years of his service, Mark was guilty of vacillating (Acts 13:13; 15:38). The ploughman looked back. So full of promise, Mark failed Paul and Barnabas at a crisis and brought about a severance of friends. The fear of what lay ahead in arduous missionary enterprise moved Mark to retrace his steps (Acts 13:13; 15:38).

But Mark won his spurs again and recovered his place in apostolic esteem. The years the locusts had eaten were restored and he became a valued colleague of Paul (Col. 4:10, 11; Philem. 24). A further impressive testimony to Mark's reinstatement is found in Paul's tribute to Mark's usefulness (2 Tim. 4:11). The wound was thoroughly healed. In the eventide of his life, Peter could write affectionately of Mark (1 Pet. 5:13). Tradition says that Mark became a bishop and a martyr and that his body was removed to Venice and buried there. St. Mark's of Venice is dedicated to his fragrant memory. The Lion, the emblem of Mark's Roman Gospel, is emblazoned on the standard of the Venetian Republic.

As the ministry of Mark was peculiarly a Gentile one, he is recognized by his Gentile name. Writing specifically for Romans, who stood for power, Mark manifests Christ's power in service. Accustomed as Mark was to the might of Rome's legions, he exhibits the soldier's rapidity of movement and readiness to repel attack, and gives us in his shortest and simplest gospel, a progressive series of victorious conflicts. Vividness, compactness, direction, circumstantial evidence characterize his gospel.

The main lessons to be learned from the life of Mark are apparent:

I. The blessings of a godly home. The Christian Church owes much to "Mary, the mother of John Mark."

II. Much depends upon the choice of friends. Mark's life was lived in the company of godly men such as Peter, Paul and Barnabas.

III. The possibilities of life. A widow's son became an apostle and a great historian, and his name is upon the lips of men the world over.

IV. The reward for faithful service. We do not read of Mark preaching a single sermon or performing even one miracle. All that is said about him is that he was a helper of others. Such service never fails to receive its reward.

How many times has this thought consumed your mind? It swirls powerfully, like muddy rapids. Thrashing heart and mind round and round like a toy boat in a damaging river of doubt, fear and lies.

The "I'm unlovable" thought often tosses us from one painful situation to the next.

Rejection from a parent leads to a heart desperate to fill the void that leads to an unloving abusive relationship. A broken heart is patched up with food that leads to weight gain that makes us feel less than beautiful and unworthy of love.

The bruised parts of our hearts can lead us down dark alleys littered with regrets and sadness.

I don't assume to know the tongue lashings, torturous words or deeds, and taunts you've endured. I don't know what rejections, rudeness, or raw aches have slayed your heart. I don't know what choices you've made-what choices were made for you-that pushed you into the roaring rush of this river that tries to drag you down with lies and pain.

I only know this-you will drown in that river unless you grab hold of this safety rope: You are loveable.

Yes. You. You are loveable.

There is an all loving Creator who is sovereign. This is a big word with bigger meaning: all powerful. He had the choice to concoct you in His mind. He had the option to create you. He had the wherewithal to call you by name. He didn't have to.

He could have said,Nah, I know how that one turns out.Depression and doubts are her go-to's instead of Me.Guys are allowed to violate her body.Her marriage falls apart.Her relationship with her parents isn't good.Her kids can't stand her.She's frumpy.She's not worthy of My time or talent.She's not lovable.

But He didn't. No.

Instead, He said,I know how that one turns out.She trusts me despite her teetering emotions and difficult circumstances.She redeems her past to inspire purity in young girls.She encourages and invests in other's marriages.It's My delight to be her Father and call her My daughter.Her knees hit the ground in fervent prayer for her children.She's beautiful.She's worthy of my Son's life and death.She's so lovable, I call her Mine and nothing she does-nothing that happens to her-can take My love from her.

I don't know why you don't feel you're lovable. Or what lies come trying to convince you that your past, your actions, your shame, your guilt disqualifies you from love.

What I do know is this: you are worthy of love. You are loveable. And you are qualified as a child of God. But don't take my word. Take His...

This is what the LORD says: '[Insert your name] who survives [insert what makes you feel unlovable] will find favor in the desert; I will come to give rest to [her].' The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build [Insert your name] up again and you will be rebuilt.'" (Jeremiah 31:2-4, NIV 1984)

Dear Lord, I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made! Thank You for knowing me fully and loving me completely. Please help me know...truly know...I am loveable. Thank You for the freedom You give from the hurt and lies. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Do I need to forgive someone, or myself, for what happened that left me feeling unlovable?

Power Verses:Micah 7:18, "Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love." (NASB)

Hagar was a young Egyptian servant girl who had some serious challenges. In the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapter 16, we hear of her plight...and of her flight:

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.'

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived (vv. 1-4a, NIV)."

I imagine Hagar probably grew up with low self-esteem. As a servant, she might have felt discarded, insignificant, and unimportant. Not only had she been sold to Abram and Sarai, but she was forced to become his wife as well. I don't know about you, but thinking about that makes my stomach do yucky flip-flops!

What do you think that conversation was like when Sarai commanded Hagar to sleep with her elderly husband? How do you think Hagar felt? I find it disturbing and unfair.

"When [Hagar] knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me."

"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her (vv. 4b-6).

I can understand from a fleshly perspective why Hagar would choose to despise Sarai. When another person wrongs us, it's difficult to choose a godly, non-sassy response. We must be careful to pray for God's perspective and power so we don't allow weeds of resentment to overtake our hearts and guide our responses.

Hagar was a maidservant, a slave, who was forced to move to a foreign land and to sleep with the husband of her mistress. Though this was a common practice in that culture, there is still great uneasiness in my heart as I read what Hagar had to endure. She was mistreated-the Bible makes that clear-and she had fair reason to run. However, God caught up with her not too far down the road.

"The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert, the spring that is beside the road to Shur, and he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered (vv. 7-8).

When faced with difficult circumstances, Hagar ran away. I might have done the same thing. But when she found herself seemingly alone in the desert, God sought her out and called her by name. The God of the universe knew Hagar's name. Hagar was a slave, nobody in the eyes of society, yet our God spoke lovingly through the angel of the Lord to this hurting mother-to-be and whispered promises of blessing to her weary heart.

"Then the angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count" (vv. 9-10).

Stunned that the God of the universe cared to comfort her, Hagar responded by giving God a new name-El Roi, "the God Who Sees Me." She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me" (v. 13).

God pursued a broken woman and lifted her eyes to meet His own. He saw her in spite of who she was or thought herself to be, called her by name, and ministered to her heart. My heart burns with awe at the intimate intervention and tenderness that God showed Hagar, a grieving mom-to-be in a very dark hour.

Each one of us strolls through the wilderness of life at times. Our unchanging God knows your name too. He sees you right where you are and knows the burdens of your heart. God sees each one of us just as He saw Hagar, and bids us to see ourselves through His eyes. Why would He? Because of Jesus. Once you place your faith in Christ, God sees you through the blood-stained curtain of His risen Son. Perfect. Forgiven. Precious.

Let's Pray

Heavenly Father, thank You for seeing me...even in the times when I feel forgotten and invisible. Your Word says that You know my name and consider me precious. Please speak that to my soul right now. (Pause here to listen...) I love you, Lord. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

What can you learn from Hagar's encounter with God in the desert? Where have you come from and where are you going? Take time to journal a response or visit my facebook page (www.facebook.com/GwenSmithMusic) to tell me about how today's devotion hit your heart.

So many times, we want to run from our problems and sidestep accountability. Is there a difficulty in your life that you're tempted to run away from or ignore?

More From The Girlfriends

Today's devotion is an excerpt from Gwen Smith's book,Broken Into Beautiful. Broken into Beautiful, features Gwen's testimony, along with Scriptural truths and stories of how God has brought restoration the hearts of many other women who had painful life wounds. God delights to transform lives ... including your own. Experience God's healing and hope in your life today as you read Broken Into Beautiful! To order the book, go to Amazon or, for a signed copy, visit Gwen's website:http://gwensmith.net/store/ .

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About Me

I'm author of History in a Year by the Conservative Voice aka History of the World in a Year by the Conservative Voice.

I'm the Conservative Voice.

I'm looking to make contact with those who might use my skill.

I have an m-audio mobile pre amp fed by the audiotechnica 2041sp condensor mic pack. Prior to 15/4/06, I'd used a Shure sm-58 that required a nuclear blast to register a sound or the internal mic of my aged imac, which has a penchance to recording my breathing. I also used a Griffin itrip, until the community convinced me it was not hiding my talent as well as the other mics.

I am a Writer and an occasional Math Teacher (Sir, what's the occasion?). I like to sing, having no instrumental talent (cannot even clap in time, and yes, I'm aware singing badly IS obnoxious).

I have performed the finale to Les Miserables before an audience of 500. I have also sung before a similar audience (students, parents) renditions of 'I Will' (Beatles), 'Mr Cairo' (Jon Vangelis) and 'I am Australian' (Seekers). Now I seek another profession because the audience hates me ..